2026 Strategic Direction
Significant policy and budget changes will result in fewer families having their basic needs met through the safety net this year and into the near future. While programs for young children have largely been protected, their parents and caregivers may be dealing with cuts to other supportive services. The role of nonprofits in helping families navigate this challenge is as important as ever, particularly as they also face reductions in public funding while continuing to respond to urgent needs. We will maintain our longstanding partnerships with the dedicated community-based organizations that meet families and children where they are, to provide critical support. We are also prioritizing that approach as we welcome several new partners across our region and continue our responsive grantmaking and capacity-building program.
Past Years' Reports
We maintained our commitment to provide partners with long-term flexible support with our regular grantmaking budget of ~$20M and distributed an additional ~$20M in COVID-19 responsive grants. This significant responsive grantmaking resulted in one-time shifts to the data that represents our usual practices. For example, where we usually award more multi-year grants than one-year grants for our long-term partners, all of our responsive grants to our partners in 2020 and 2021 were awarded as one-year grants.
Our responsive grantmaking included targeted quarterly grants to organizations providing food, essential supplies, cash, and rental assistance, or legal aid to families as well as flexible grants to support both families and our partners. This dual focus acknowledged both the families seeking support in higher numbers across the year and the various short-and long-term organizational needs of nonprofits that capably pivoted to meet community need.
We also responded to aligned collaborative funding opportunities, including:
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The California Immigrant Resilience Fund, which provides direct cash assistance to families who are ineligible for COVID-19 federal and state safety net and relief programs.
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Capacity grants to our partners managing Undocufunds in acknowledgment of associated administrative expenses.
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The Together Toward Health initiative, which funds local community-based organizations that provide education, awareness, and outreach to populations disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.
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Capacity grants to our partners participating in the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) in acknowledgment of the additional capacity required to enroll clients.
2021 Grant Data
Grants Paid
800
Unique Grantees
285
Payment Range
$2,250 - $1,000,000
Average Grant Payment
$51,914
Grant Payments
$41,531,250
